⁷ Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die.

²⁴ He was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit^(A) and faith, and a great number of people were brought to the Lord.^(B)

¹⁶ This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us.^(A) And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters.^(B)

¹³ Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.^(A)

¹⁴ At that time David was in the stronghold,^(A) and the Philistine garrison was at Bethlehem.^{(B) 15} David longed for water and said, “Oh, that someone would get me a drink of water from the well near the gate of Bethlehem!” ¹⁶ So the three mighty warriors broke through the Philistine lines, drew water from the well near the gate of Bethlehem and carried it back to David. But he refused to drink it; instead, he poured^(C) it out before the Lord. ¹⁷ “Far be it from me, Lord, to do this!” he said. “Is it not the blood^(D) of men who went at the risk of their lives?” And David would not drink it.

Such were the exploits of the three mighty warriors.

²⁷ The watchman said, “It seems to me that the first one runs like^(A) Ahimaaz son of Zadok.”

“He’s a good man,” the king said. “He comes with good news.”

³ But the men said, “You must not go out; if we are forced to flee, they won’t care about us. Even if half of us die, they won’t care; but you are worth ten^(A) thousand of us.^[a] It would be better now for you to give us support from the city.”^(B)